An Empire State Trek
by PhoenyxDown
Summary: Pilot-trial: Gwendolyn Ardette Owens, 22, uncovers her lineage and ties to a supernatural world outside her own. On her path to self-discovery, she fights against a prophecy of a dying world.


Prologue

It was joyful youth. That certain laughter from children that sounded harmonious with the songs birds sang on early Sunday evenings. That's what brought her here. The games the children played were often nonsensical to adult humans, but for the children it was how they understood the world around them-how they communicated. The game of hide and seek taught them spatial awareness. The game of tag taught them the intricacies of body mechanics and how to manage running, jumping, and falling at the same time. They learned all these things and more during their time of play. These were lessons they would take with them into adulthood; however, there would be no red rover, or double dutch. They would eventually find partners to have children with. They would grow old and frail and in the end, wither away.

But the children at Thomas Jefferson Park didn't know this yet. How could they? Their parents most likely shielded them from this mortal truth, waiting until they were old enough to understand it. The children's only concern was to make sure their tennis balls never hit the pavement in their enticing game of keep away. Three of them played in the center of the park where there was little sound from the rest of East Harlem and all of New York. As a whole, the neighborhood was cacophonous, and the graining sound of vehicle horns, incessant shouting, and music was enough to make those who preferred silence and peace want to shrivel and die. Yet it seemed no one could hear what the lady in green heard.

For the past two weeks, she had heard every man, woman, and child for miles in East Harlem and failed to understand why they preferred to hear themselves blunder over the beautiful orchestration of nature. After all, it was her magnus opus. She missed the hues of emerald, russet, and umber. Trees became telephone poles, their roots became landlines, and grass became the sidewalk and roads for vehicles. Everything beautiful went to ruin. She didn't understand the humans, she never did. As the "mother of Earth," she unfortunately had never taken the time to be among such a prolific species. If there was one thing she admired about the humans though, it was their ability to create and procreate. But with so many of them, she failed to understand why they held their lives with such reverence. They would die and two more lives would take their place.

For millennia, she pushed the question out of her head blaming their ignorance on lower lifeform stupidity. But on her centennial awakening she found herself sitting at a small Sepian table watching these children play the same five games everyday. She would make this an observational study on human behavior. Initially, she tried watching adult humans but being a mother herself, she naturally gravitated to the children. She knew it was also due to the fact that she couldn't be near her own offspring. They were far away where she could never dream of reaching them. She felt their presence no matter how far they were but that only made it more unbearable to be without them. For now, the human children would have to do.

At this point and time, she had learned their names in passing: the youngest boy with curly hair and unsurmountable energy went by Isaiah. The middle child was a girl with a braided ponytail and barrettes. She wore framed glasses and always reminded the other two on the rules and scolded them on the rare occasions she caught them cheating. But Naya played anyways in spite of her complaints. Finally, the oldest was a boy who had a heavier frame than either of his friends. He might have not been the fastest but he was strong enough to win in games that required him to climb and hold himself on the jungle gym. His name was Anthony.

Of all the children on the playground at Jefferson, these three were her favorite. When they didn't cheat at their games, they adapted fast to new rules the others made up. They treated each other like siblings when the woman could tell they were most certainly not related. But most of all, they respected nature and it's beauty. They understood true works of art.

Three days ago, Anthony stopped in his tracks to call over his two companions. They ceased their game for ten minutes to watch a couple of Monarch butterflies fly through neighboring trees and flowers. Although they didn't know it, the mother of Earth watched alongside of them bonding from a distance. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. They seemed to never pay her any attention, and she didn't try to bother them. The woman found peace just watching them for the time they were there each day. After awhile she began missing them once they left before night. She didn't fret though; they would be back and so she waited patiently. A day for these children must've been no longer than a minute for someone who was as old as Earth itself.

She enjoyed watching them learn about their surroundings and learn from each other. Repeating things they heard from a place she believed they called "after school care." Dates, formulas, friendships, and literature they would mention in conversation. Seeing their world expand before their eyes had placed an indistinguishable warm feeling inside of her. These lessons were invaluable. Although they seemed trivial to the kids, these were facts the woman had watched humanity's greatest thinkers, scientists, and world leaders discover, learn, and teach to others. The mother told herself she could watch them learn for days. She had almost forgot they were even mortal until they were all reminded during one of their playground excursions of an unforgiving life lesson: pain.

Naya climbed her sinewy body to the top of the monkey bars while Anthony and Isaiah played with a neon orange basketball on the pavement court just twenty feet from Naya. She wasn't a fan of the game of H.O.R.S.E the boys played and so she naturally distanced herself. There was entertainment found in just spinning around and around again on the set. The woman in green laughed in support of the child. Her and Anthony had made brief eye contact for the first time, but he looked away shyly and caught the pass from Isaiah before lunging toward the goal, pushing off his right feet, and setting the ball in the basket.

She would have looked at their game longer but Naya swinging upside down on the monkey bars caused her due stress and so she focused her attention on the girl. Whether it was intuition or premonition didn't matter, like clockwork she watched as Naya's leg grip on the bars fail her. She dropped vertically to solid ground. Thinking ahead, the child braced herself for the fall, but that didn't stop the inertia from bobbing her face into the ground just after her body already made contact. The girl's endearing pink t-shirt and denim jacket were stained with red blotches that trailed up her dark skin to her face and her shifted nose,which she had broken.

Not shortly after, tears and stifled cries followed - she went into a scared frenzy. The lady in green told herself that she wouldn't get involved as it could compromise her experiment, but instinct had moved her self-composed muscles. Her adrenaline overtook her as she ran through grass and pebbles onto the playscape, kneeling beside an injured Naya. She was shocked at these telling results of her experiment: even though the human-like body she made for herself was set to last for a little longer than a month, she already developed maternal patterns towards children that were not of her own. It didn't help that a fearful Naya begged for help and compassion through her chestnut colored eyes. Without reservation, the woman cradled the child in her arms and rested her left hand on Naya's nose.

The woman was human in form but ancient in wisdom and ability. Anthony and Isaiah couldn't see what she was doing but they ran indiscriminately to their crying friend. Even Naya, who was in the arms of the woman, couldn't see the energy and power resonating from this lady's body and into Naya's face. The mother of Earth didn't doubt that Naya could feel an unworldly warmth sensation shifting the cartilage in her nose back into place like a moving glacier. Although the child had a few reservations, mainly out of not understanding what had just transpired, she stayed put and let the lady in green work. A cooling sensation that followed and her eyes became heavy. She fell swiftly asleep in this stranger's arms.

"Naya! What happened, miss!?" Anthony knelt beside both the woman and Naya trying to shake her awake, but the woman swatted at his hand urging him to not wake her. The mother began rocking rhythmically and slowly before answering him.

" She just scared herself to death. But please don't wake her, she needs to rest in order to feel better." She had simplified it for them to understand, but what she didn't explain was that her power had an overpowering concentration that only diluted itself with rest. Isaiah, who was still standing, stood above the them watching over Naya.

"So she'll be alright? She got blood all over her." They all looked at the drying patches of red splotted on her.

"Yes, chil, she'll be just fine" it initially felt strange, but there was a certain pride she felt using the vernacular correctly in a sentence. She had heard a few mothers in Harlem address their children as such. Wanting to fit in like the other mothers, she used the colloquialisms she picked up from Harlem. The form that she had taken paid explicit attention to the demographic of the region, so she would make sure her speech followed.

The three sat in silence on the playground for a minute or so before she caught Isaiah staring at her, contained, but ready to explode.

"What's your name, miss!?" The boy was timid at first but he eventually got his question out in the open. Anthony jabbed him with his elbow immediately discouraging the question.

" Please, forgive him ma'am. He's got a big mouth!" Anthony frowned in disapproval to which Isaiah immediately consorted to frowning back.

"What!? She's here everyday and I wanted to know!"

Before the two could argue any further, the woman threw her head back and let a joyful laugh escape her. The children were too much fun for her. She thought about making up an alias. Lying was a habit her family was well accustomed to performing. When they wanted to dwell amongst humans without revealing their true identities they made up names for themselves.

Maybe she felt these kids were harmless, maybe she just trusted them enough. Probably a mixture of both sentiments, so she felt they should call her by her name.

"It's a fine question. I don't want to be a stranger. My name is Gaia, Ms. Gaia," she instructed so they could put the right honorific on her name. What the boys did next surprised her.

The oldest, Anthony, stuck out his hand. " Nice to meet you, Ms. Gaia." He expected her to of course shake it, but not knowing what to do with it, she reminded him of Naya who rested in her arms. "Oh, sorry" he laughed nervously and withdrew his hand. She was still getting accustomed to the mannerisms on Earth so she avoided revealing her ignorance of human ways. The lady craned her head towards a set of benches that they could sit on as she stood up still holding Naya.

The boys followed her to the benches, unaware that they were following the mother of Earth; the primordial being of Greek mythology in human flesh. The three sat down and conversed with each other about the children's interests and their home life. What Gaia noticed was that all of them, except Naya, were raised by a single parent. The latter lived with her grandma on account of both parents proceeding her at a young age. This information saddened Gaia, who couldn't help but feel a connection to Naya. She was separated from her parents like Gaia was separated from her children. Gaia's powerful children were essentially stuck in another plane where she would never be able to reach them- not without supernatural intervention that was outside her realm of powers. She missed them dearly. However, Anthony didn't leave much time for her to think about them. His question caught her off guard:

" Ms. Gaia, what do you come to Jefferson for? I always see you by yourself." So he had been paying attention. A child's perceptiveness never ceased to amaze the protogenoi. Both him and Isaiah gave her undivided attention.

" I come to watch kids play." She answered the question honestly, not thinking anything strange of her answer. The boys looked at her nervously.

"What is it?"

"Isn't that weird? You don't want to be creepy!" Isaiah was unashamed at his tone. Gaia didn't understand why he would think such a thing but she decided to explain more of her situation so maybe they'd understand.

" Well, Baby," she tried out another colloquialism of African-American mothers "I guess I just miss my own babies. I haven't seen them in a lifetime. Spending time with you...made me realize how special children are no matter who they belong to." She gazed off somewhere as if something caught her attention, but yet again, she was just lost in thought. Tearing at the memories she held with her kids.

The boys didn't quite realize the depth of Gaia's statement but they felt the maternal love in her voice as she spoke of her kids. She concentrated back on Naya who was still asleep, rocking her to the metronome in her mind.

Out of nowhere, Gaia felt Isaiah wipe a tear from her eye. She didn't even feel herself crying until now. More importantly, how could she not notice that he was missing a tooth- he was still losing his baby teeth. If Anthony was nine, Nay and Isaiah couldn't have been no older than eight and seven respectively.

"Don't cry, miss. You'll see them again" Isaiah gave an almost puppy dog look while Anthony nodded his head agreement. She found herself comforted by their words, still trying to process these feelings for human beings she's never had.

After twenty minutes or so of the boys detailing their family life, Gaia's arm began to shift and Naya stretched her legs and arms now awoke from resting. She looked up at Gaia and stared at her for a minute before asking for her identity. Although she was concerned, Naya couldn't feign the comfort and level of safety she felt in Gaia's arms. She hadn't left Gaia, which signaled an amount of trust the girl had given her. Once the formalities were said and over with the three children began talking about their favorite chip brands: Doritos Cool Ranch, Funions, and Takis; which one was better and when was the last time they had it. That transitioned to I spy, which evolved to Simon Says.

They found themselves playing around Gaia, instantly reminding her of the days where she watched her own children play across ocean floors, on the mountain tops, and on everglades. Anthony balanced himself on his right leg making sure not to move as Naya taunted him by refraining from saying "Simon" before giving a command. Gaia dared to say she wanted them to stay with her past nighttime so she could watch over them longer, but that thought was put to rest when a woman's raspy voice cut through her thoughts and the playing of the kids.

"Naya! Girl, what did you do to your clothes!?" Gaia didn't have to follow the voice because the woman came fast into her peripheral vision, grabbing Naya by both shoulders. The concern of the dried blood on her clothes was detectable and understandable. The other woman wore a black bonnet and house robe, contrasted with white, house slippers.

" Maw Maw, I just broke my nose-" the grandmothers eyes widened in reaction "but it's okay! Ms. Gaia fixed it" Naya saved herself and pointed at her new friend, to which the grandmother looked at Gaia with skepticism. However, she gave the primordial being a grateful nod.

" Well, I can't thank you enough for looking out for these kids." She turned back to her granddaughter.

"Lord, have mercy. What the hell are you out here doing busting up your nose?" The question caused Naya to shrink within herself and droop her head in shame. Impatient for an answer, the grandmother adjusted her house robe and pursed her lips.

" You know we don't have good insurance! Jesus, if we didn't have Medicaid, where would we be?" The woman ushered Naya out of the park as she scolded her "Come on Isaiah, Tony, I'll drop y'all off along the way."

" She doesn't need medical attention. I realigned her nose and closed away all the cuts on her face. She's fine," Gaia stood up offended but also somewhat confused that this human woman doubted her ability to care for her granddaughter. The grandmother turned to face Gaia with an emboldened glare. Unbeknownst to her, Gaia had lived a hundred of her lifetimes, though in this form it certainly didn't look it.

" Look, Ms. Gaia. As much as I appreciate what you've done for Naya, I still need to be her parent. So she'll get seen by a doctor today so I can rest assured that I did my part. I'm sure you understand." the grandmother didn't waver in eye contact and her determination to do her due diligence was something Gaia could grudgingly respect. Naya must have seen her defeated smile because she ran out of her grandmother's hands to Gaia and wrapped her hands around her stomach in a hug.

" Thank you for everything, Ms. Gaia."Anthony and Isaiah quickly followed suit.

They had only met her today but the warm embrace they gave Gaia suggested that they'd known her their entire lives. There was a deep pain in her heart, knowing she didn't have much time before she had to bury herself back in the Earth. Her current form wouldn't last but a couple more days. These children helped her reach a very shocking conclusion.

She may not have understood the humans and their destructive ways, let alone their strange customs, but she wanted to raise a "human-like" child of her own. It would be hers alone. She envision herself coddling them and spoiling them as she watched them thrive in their human environment. Gaia would have to do it tonight to ensure she also had enough time to create another body for herself. Time was running short and she didn't want to leave the child by themselves unprotected.

The children retracted from the hugs and waved goodbye as they ran to Naya's grandmother. "We'll see you tomorrow, Ms Gaia," Anthony called out behind him as they continued to walk further and further away from the Greek deity. She didn't bother responding and lying to them. It that would only make her more sad. This would be the last time she'd see every one of them and the realization pained her, so she said nothing more. That day she watched them walk out of her life.

She waited after they left for the dusk and night. The people had come and gone and the only ones who remained were the group of teens playing late night basketball under the illumination of the street lights. At around ten, Gaia had finally decided the time was right. She stood up from the bench and left Jefferson Park set out to birth a human child.

It was too late for most people to roam the shifty neighborhood as petty crime was extremely common in East Harlem. But Gaia roamed every street walking boldly from post light to post light. The summer cool breeze moved her coily, black spiraled hair. Her green dress flowed effortlessly along with it. Anyone else on the road that night probably thought she looked regal. Judging by the looks she got from bystanders, she must have been stunning. Gaia couldn't be bothered though, her objective was effectively written in stone.

She had learned to pay attention to the street names in her time here. 1st Avenue and 10th Street was the corner she turned on. She had initially wondered if the park might have been the appropriate place to birth a child, but she told herself that any child of hers deserved better, she kept looking.

Turning down E 10th street she found a place that caught her eye: The amount of vegetation and unique herbs made her heart leap excitedly. A community garden- yes, that was the perfect place.

"Hey baby, you out here kind of late aren't ya?" Gaia's gaze followed the voice to a slender young man who looked her fiendishly up and down. Gaia could have been mistaken but she could've sworn the fool was salivating from the mouth. She didn't couldn't be bothered with this man now, nor his ill intentions so she kept moving forward. This one was indignant though. After repeatedly calling out to her she felt her arm yank back, turning her around to face her assailant.

"What is it, human?" Gaia looked deep into the man's soul trying to look for a reason to spare this man's life, especially after bothering her with foul intent. She could smell alcohol on his breath as he gave his demands.

" You're not gonna ignore me! Walking around here thinking you're so damn special and shit. What you wearing? Michael Cor? Gucci?" Gaia didn't answer as the man continued to comment on her clothing and appearance before stating, " I know you have a lot of guap! And once you hand it over, then we'll talk about what else you can do for me." The demands of the petty thug were a catalyst for passionate anger that arose from the protogenoi. They were close enough to the garden that she could sneak vines and roots through the ground without causing much of a scene. At least not too much of a scene.

Fortunately, no one was there to witness this man sink into the earth, vines gripping him on both ends of his arms, splitting him in half before he was engulfed by the Earth-like quicksand. Gaia swiped her right hand and watched the ground close above both halves of him. This all had happened in ten seconds.

Gaia felt his life force enter the Earth's energy repository. _A better use for energy_ she thought to herself before turning around to walk into the community Garden. She forced the door open using the plants inside and entered the spacious dome. The aromatic scent brought joy to the Earth mother's heart- there were humans that still cared for the work she had done on Earth and the plants she created eons ago! Each plant was properly soiled and fertilized to their unique profile. It was a beautiful sight to see. And now she, the original gardener, would give her own contribution to this place.

She walked down the aisle grabbing a few pots from different plants and threw them into the center. Sunflowers, strawberry, Rosemary, Thyme, and Fenugreek. The conglomeration of plants and soil would be considered a mess to clean up by most. But this would be her birthing grounds. After making sure she had enough plants and soil mounded up, she dug her hands into the mound of dirt and began clumping and working.

As she kneaded and clumped the sum of dirt in the pile, she channeled forth energy and concentration through her finger tips and into the mound. Her heart accelerated and her breathing became heavy. It was a painful process, no matter the journey, to bring a new life into the world. It didn't help that she would do this alone, but it was because she was alone that made this one of her more passionate project. The clumps began to harden under her jurisdiction and she started forming the body.

Although more tired than she expected ,she used the Naya, Anthony, and Isaiah as reference points and inspiration for the child she wanted to have. Thinking of the warmth of Naya sleeping in her arms confirmed her desire to have a female baby. She thought of Isaiah's thirst for knowledge and curiosity. His boldness inspired the head and mind she gave the child. As she worked her way to the frail neck and torso of the baby she thought about the heart and temperament of the child. Anthony's love for life and attention for the details would be this child's blueprint for personality. She kept working at the torso and legs until finally made it to the feet.

As the base, she needed the child to have a foundation- something she stood firm in. In the back of Gaia's mind, she saw Naya reminding her friends to play by the rules back at the playground and the two boys complying feeling ashamed. A characteristic they all shared was the belief in fair treatment for all life. Without hesitation, she knew she wanted this child to feel the same, throwing in Basil leaves in the mix. Being satisfied with the shape, Gaia poured more of her life force into the shaped infant. It took a minute but the dirt gained a texture that started to resemble human skin. The bones and skeletal structure had formed under the surface, and the body became increasingly warm and less malleable. Muscle and blood had began to form.

Gaia teared a little at the sight of her baby coming into fruition. She was warm and healthy and within minutes Gaia felt a heartbeat begin to pick up. The tiny miniature lungs heaved up and down and the baby began to take its first breaths. She quickly retracted the infant from the mound of dirt allowing it to freely breathe. The child exercised her right to speak, crying and screaming - and just like that a child was born.

Gaia let out a hearty, tired chuckle " That's right, baby. Let it all out." She pressed the child against her body and cuddled with her. The baby settled down a bit and quieted as Gaia put more life force into her. She knew the baby was hungry and so she gave her more energy until she could find a suitable food source for such a child. Gaia felt weak but gave more energy to her anyways.

She blissfully sat there rocking the child as she did with Naya. Finally, she was with a child of her own again. The excitement had completely overtook her as she was completely unaware of the air becoming dense and an overwhelming presence scaring the child. Her baby began to cry profusely.

Alerting her motherly instincts, Gaia held the child tightly to her side and she braced for the presence that made itself known.

" What do you think you are doing now, woman?" The voice was slightly different but the sentiment was all the same. She hadn't seen the man in millennia but Gaia knew the disdain of her ex-husband any day of the week. Although he wasn't all quite there, he did muster up a human like form. The man had lighter skin than Gaia's, graying Brown hair, and scars and cuts all over his Frankenstein body- a product of the past that he couldn't escape.

" Uranus, leave us be," Gaia tensed up around the former sky being. Their relationship had became strained due to the differences in love for their own children. There was no other way to say it- he was abusive and he did horrid things to their children that to this day she'd never forgive. The deformed man scoffed at her demand, limping to her weakened body.

" Of the few times a millennia you awaken, you decide to make a human body and expend all of your energy- and for what, a human child?" Uranus eyed the coffee colored skinned baby, not being present for the birth itself, it took him a moment to put two and two together. But when he did, his eyes gave away his reaction before he could speak, " Shit, this isn't a human. This child has your aura! What have you done!?"

The scolding from this monstrous man who never loved a single one of his babies was enough to send her over the edge:

" Is it so wrong that I made a child that doesn't have to be bothered with the politics of Olympus. I made a child who fortunately doesn't have to wake up every morning chained up and tortured by their father," Uranus flinched at her retelling his abusive history. " I made a child who can grow old, get married, and be happy- Who can foolishly worry about mortal things, have children and watch them succeed her. I don't want her to be another tragic hero recounted in an epic. No, I want the world and more for her." Gaia looked into her baby's almond colored irises. She could get lost in them forever.

" Gaia, I know you felt it- the distress of the Universe. Chaos foretold the end of life. He only only given a few days in this form to find and tell you. That must be why you woke up. I know you can feel the strands of reality unweaving as we speak" Gaia didn't look at the man. She kept her eyes on her beautiful child, but eventually she answered.

"Yes, I felt it. It sent a shiver down my spine. But so what? Leave it to our narcissist grandchild, Zeus and his band of misfits. Let them play hero. They demand honor and glory so let them deal with it," Gaia dejected to the Olympic Pantheon that governed matters such as this.

"Chaos told me himself, Gaia," Uranus emphasized. She didn't want to care, but she understood from his somber tone that the Greek deities must not be enough to stop this appending destruction that was to befall all of them. She sighed.

"Uranus, I know you can't see it, but this child is different. She is the first of her kind and hopefully the last. I gave her enough potential to outlast the end of the world- no, she will save the world, she'll be its champion."

" How can you be so sure?" Uranus looked dubiously at her. She paused for a moment and thought over her answer.

" I'm not sure. But I've prayed that she'd live through this epidemic. When the time comes, hopefully I'll able to stand alongside of her, as her mother."

" You prayed?"

"I know there's some higher power that will look over my child," Gaia choked back a few tears under her proud smile at her offspring " even when I can't."

Uncharacteristically, Uranus' eyes softened at the tragedy of his former bride. She was always so beautiful and her love was undying. He watched as her skin began to chip away on its own, slowly revealing her hollow dirt shell.

" Gaia-" he started to warn her that she was fading but she beat him to the punch.

" You don't have to tell me, Uranus. I've overstayed my welcome in this body." Her laughter had a tinge of melancholy in it. "I spent so much of my energy birthing her that I didn't even prepare another body like I planned. Oh well, it's time for me to go back into the Earth." Gaia kissed the forehead of her baby girl.

" The first hemigenoi of it's kind?" Uranus gave a look of compassion to his past wife and showed interest to the child- for the first time in his life.

" A hemigenoi, huh? A half-Titan. I like it," she acknowledged the cleverness of this naming convention for her child's race. Gaia thought about a name before she left her body and she came up with a name she heard recently while on Earth, a name she enjoyed dearly. She made sure the child and her had full eye contact before addressing her.

" My dear, Gwendolyn. Don't cry too much while I'm away. Know that I'll always be with you. Although you won't see it, I'll be right there. As long as your feet are on solid ground, your mother will always find you. Remember that this world will test you. Monsters and adversaries at every corner will seek to devour and destroy you. But have no fear, because you have a remarkable strength that cannot be put down. Whether your enemies are of old epics or new, don't let anything stop you. Your story is one for the ages and I can't wait to see how it unfolds. I've prayed over you and although I'll be resting, know that I'll never sleep. When this journey is over, you will find mama waiting for you at the finish line." She pressed her lips against her child's cheek, causing the baby to make a noise of comfort.

" This I promise," She felt dirt patches fall from her body at the conclusion of her tender speech and her arms began to disassemble.

" Here, give her to me," Uranus extended his good hand for Gaia to put Gwendolyn in. She hesitated at first, but knew that she didn't want her child to be left to fend for herself alone at night. She looked intensely into Uranus' sky blue eyes to secure some sort of trust that he would find a decent home for Gwen.

" I want her to grow up as a human as possible. Please, find her a safe place to live peacefully. She deserves to be happy." Uranus understanding Gaia's plea, secured the baby in his arms before watching the mother of Earth crumble. As he walked out with the baby, he looked back at the mother of his children. Even though Gaia conspired against him and he showed nothing but contempt for his children, in his own way, he still had sickening love for her.

" The least I can do is respect your mother's wishes. Now to find you some sort of foster home." He and and the infant Gwen walked into the cool night air of New York before being whisked away into the night. For days, he searched for the right foster care that had the means to care for the child. Eventually, he found the right family and knew that she would be taken care of. Before leaving her on the doorstep, he covered her with his seal. It would repel monsters for quite awhile; a little more than two decades. After assuring her survival, he attached a note on the baby that read 'my name is Gwendolyn.' He felt it was important for the baby to grow up knowing the birth name her mother gave her- _it was a nice name_ he admitted.

As he patted the baby on the head, he noticed the body given to him began falling apart as Chaos said it would, but he held out until the foster family retrieved Gwen from outside their doorstep and brought her inside the house. They would call the authorities and debate on whether to raise the child or make it an orphan. Even though the couple was older, they seemed to have an immediate connection with the baby. Uranus knew from observation that they would keep Gwen. Relieved, Uranus took flight and placed himself above the skyline of New York.

The child may not be his but he hoped that Gaia was right. Out of fear that even Chaos didn't know what to do in their situation, he prayed for the future of the universe. In his own reflection, he thought about his children in comparison to their newborn half sister. He hoped the world wouldn't judge her for the mistakes they made eons ago. She would have to forge her own path and fight through the challenges her mother professed to her.

" So what will you do now, Gwen?" Uranus' eyes too became heavy as he followed suit with Gaia, eroding into the New York skyline to rest indefinitely.


End file.
